Posts with tag Converse

Fall 2008's "Get Chucked" campaign for Converse by John Varvatos was shot by Ryan McGinley and features model Daisy Lowe. McGinley is known for artistic innovations like employing paper plates (shown above) and casting nude subjects in groups.

At least there's no boomer era musicians in this Varvatos chapter. But ad campaign and iconography aside, Converse by John Varvatos gets stronger as it progresses each season. The vintage and rocker styles are legit and the price is way more accessible than John Varvatos Collection. Plus the audience is much, much younger than Varvatos usually cares to dress. Available nationwide at department stores, it's the quality and affordable apparel line that Converse fans have always deserved.

As a complete collection for men and women of trousers, dresses, skirts, blouses, button downs, jacket, blazer, knits, footwear and more, Converse by John Varvatos should be considered just a small step down from Marc by Marc Jacobs. It's all about updated basics with great details. And even if there's not the high end, luxe fabrics of his own collection, Varvatos provides clever and straight forward design direction to the clothes.

After keeping it casual and understated in Doc Martens' ad campaigns for the past couple of seasons, Daisy Lowe aka Gavin Rossdale's lovechild, has found a new shoe company to play with: Converse.

The British "it" girl stars alongside some slightly dirty male model in the new Converse by John Varvatos ad campaign. Wearing lots of black eyeliner and using a French fry as a mustache, Mark Ronson's boo looks laid back and in her element in the Ryan McGinley lensed photographs.

In addition to the ads that will run in magazines like Vogue,Interview, and GQ, there will be a sixty second film that depicts the models in the ad causing mayhem inside of a diner. But we know they probably do that a lot in real life, so this shouldn't have been too hard for them to reenact.

[via WWD]

As was mentioned earlier, Converse has teamed up with a slew of music heavyweights to celebrate the its 100th year anniversary.

Super-producer Pharrell Williams enlisted the help of up-and-coming star Santogold and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes to create a song that embodies the spirit of Converse and gets people dancing. The track is upbeat, fun, and makes for a great summer jam. And guess what? It can be downloaded for free on Converse's site right now. We know, cool.

The artists came together and made an accompanying music video for their song too. It was directed by Psyop's Marie Hyon and Marco Spier and features a cool 3-D black-and-white paper-doll treatment. Enjoy.

Now that China has become a major fashion -- as well as an economic -- force in the world, we think it's time to take a closer look at some of their street wear, starting with these awesome shoes. In addition to the fact that the Feiyue Shaolin sneaker is to the Chinese what the Converse All Star is to us in the States -- Kung Fu masters apparently love these old school canvas and rubber sneakers.

It's true, look it up. These very economical canvas sneakers have been a staple in China since the 20's and are sold all over the internet as Kung Fu accessories. We can't really see how they're particularly suited for martial arts, but we do think they'd make a great pair of summer shoes. We like the retro style, it's like a hybrid of the All Star and the PF Flyer -- which are both classic. The advantage with these babies is that they're way cheaper, and you probably won't run across anybody else who's wearing them.

[via SeeJackShop]

In celebration of their 100th anniversary, Converse enlisted the help of rapper Santogold, super producer Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D. and John Casablancas of The Strokes to create a song for the brand.

Basically, it's the less obnoxious and annoying version of Nelly's hit, Air Force Ones. Product placement lite, if you will.

Ah, flirting. Although it may seem like a past time, flirting is actually a big part of our everyday lives. It can be fun and is a great way to give people one on one attention.

You don't need to be single to be a flirt. Of course, when you are, flirting is the best way to find that special someone. But if you aren't a single, flirting is still a great way to have fun and get to know someone more intimately.

In a desperate attempt to get more Chuck Taylors on the feet of hipsters everywhere (not that they need that much help), Converse has turned to the world of music for guidance. Using the talents of Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Pharrell Williams of NERD and The Neptunes, and Santogold, the company hopes to form a music collaboration so awesome that the sneakers will go flying off the shelves. But, you know, in a cool way.

They have also filmed a video, in which the sneakers will be featured prominently. Let's see if they can pull this off as a music video with sneakers and not a commercial with new music.

As someone who has already bought into the scruffy Chuck Taylor lifestyle, we don't need any additional convincing. However, as cool as this collaboration sounds, we can't help but wonder just how effective it will actually be. There must be some tween-y skateboarders who will go nuts for it.

That's why we're pleased to bring you the 'Trash Talk' shoe from Nike. Yes, Nike. Big companies can have a heart, too.

Summer time is all about trying to balance looking stylish while not dying of heat exhaustion -- sometimes that's pretty hard to do. While we love our flip-flops, but some situations call for a more substantial footwear choice. That doesn't mean your feet have to sweat it out.

Click through the gallery to see the top 5 classic tennis shoes for a sock-free existence:

On Monday, CBGB's died one last time and was reborn as a pricey John Varvatos menswear boutique.

Hmmm. I'm thinking $130 tshirts are totally not punk. On the other hand, Varvatos has pretty good rock and roll connections, and 315 Bowery had to get bought by someone, right?

No, this is not a joke. Converse is going to release a special limited edition pair of Kurt Cobain chucks. They're actually almost identical to the pair he was wearing when he died. The shoes are currently in production and will come out during the summer to help celebrate the company's 100th anniversary.

In previous projects with Doc Martens, Kurt's image was used without the approval of his estate and the whole thing turned into a big legal mumbo jumble. But Courtney Love has given the go ahead for the Converse project so they shouldn't have similar problems. The situation is a bit different since Kurt actually wore Converse sneakers, unlike Doc Martens.

You can see what the shoes will look like here. They even have the words "Punk rock means freedom written," across the sole. I can't help but think this whole thing is a little morbid. I mean, the company is capitalizing on a dead rockers' fame to up their profits. Gross. Everything is for sale these days, even the sacred memory of someone who has passed away. But, if Courtney approved this then Converse can do whatever they want. What do you think?


Via the Daily Swarm.

The "One Star" lineup is going to offer athletic and vintage inspired designs for both men and women. It looks like it will mostly consist of classic pieces with subtle trendy updates -- like Chucks with a more contemporary stitch pattern. The line will include graphic tees, polos, vintage-inspired denim, lightweight knitwear, and few dresses.

Honestly, this seem like a pretty great match-up. Target's price-range seems like a good fit for a clothing line that's famous for bringing casual athletic style to street clothes. I recently got a gift card from Nordstrom and used it to by some Chucks -- let me tell ya, felt kinda strange.

Like most Target lines, "One Star" is going to have that muted, half edgy, half submissive, wear it on casual Fridays look to it. Really, what else would you expect?

[via Nitrolicious]

As someone who has both studied art intensively for the past six years and lovingly worn Chuck Taylor All-Stars for about just as long, seeing these DIY'd Chucks fills my cold heart with joy. These otherwise normal black Chucks have been custom painted in the style of archaic Greek red-figure pottery (learn more about that style here). I tried painting a pair of white Chucks in the style of Mondrian when I was in high school, but I somehow managed to screw that up. Always paint one side at a time, kids. Anyway, seeing these shoes inspires me to get creative with my own sneakers. I have a pair of new off-white Chucks that are screaming for something fun.

Recently, the creator of these red-figure Chucks started to take commissions, but because of the time and detail involved, the price tag would run a bit high, up in the $200 zone. Honestly, though, with some research in the style, healthy dose good old patience, and some acrylic paints mixed with textile medium should be enough for anyone to do this at home. Contact information can be found at the "Read" link.

From the feet of 1970s punks to the tenth Doctor of Doctor Who, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, often affectionately called "Chucks", have been everywhere. Sure, they don't offer optimal arch support and, since Nike bought the shoe and moved production overseas, the quality is not as fine as it once was, but the look is too classic to pass up. They go well with jeans or casual skirts and even serve as a nice way of toning down dressy pants.

Also, Chucks hold the strange honor of being the only shoe that most people usually like better dirty and worn-in. Pristine new Chucks are actually a bit blinding and scary... But old Chucks with blackened toes, small holes worn in the sides, and fraying laces, instead of looking sad, they look loved, like a loyal pair of shoes that have joined you on every adventure of your life. Have I made it obvious enough that I love my Chucks?

Here's a helpful hint for finding cheap Chucks: While hunting in the clearance sections of shoe stores (or even online, like on eBay), take a look in the men's section as well. Labels on all the boxes are unisex, so no need to convert your shoe size to men's. On more than one occasion I've managed to find a criminally cheap pair of Chucks just because I took the time to peek.

Converse Chuck Taylors seem to be the footwear fashion trend that just won't die. For years they've been must-have's for slackers, rockers, indie kids and anyone else who wants an easy way to look cool in casual shoes. While it's great to have such an easy style score in your arsenal, the problem is that everyone has a pair, so it's hard to make yours stick out.

So why not get some custom-made? The shoe-maker has streamlined the process, walking you though a barrage of options -- including shoe type, shoe material, color scheme (you can choose separate colors for the inside, outside, heel, tongue, stitches and more), and the option to personalize your shoe with a written message.

The process takes anywhere from 5 minutes (if you know what you want) to 5 hours (if you like to play with color). When you're done, you'll have a completely unique pair of Chucks, and all for less than $80. If you're in the market for a pair, the question is, why wouldn't you do this?

[via MetaFilter]